


boum boum boum

by babsaros



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Injury, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron)-centric, M/M, Sharpshooter Lance, VLD fanfic remix, Whump, its heckin canon yall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 01:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11817933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babsaros/pseuds/babsaros
Summary: On a "regular" mission, Lance slips up. Now he knows what it's like to be on the other end of the barrel. But he should go out with a bang right?





	boum boum boum

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cara1317](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cara1317/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Baby, Let's Go Out With A Bang](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7750558) by [cara1317](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cara1317/pseuds/cara1317). 



> For the VLD 2017 Fanfic Remix! This was really fun, I absolutely fell in love with the original fic idea and knew I had to do it bc, well, langst is my jam lmao. Cara does really good langst though, it was so hard to pick which fic to remix! So go check out the original and their other works!  
> Here's more info about the project- https://vldfanficremix2017.tumblr.com/

It was supposed to be a regular mission.

Lance slumped back in his seat, staring at the holograms Shiro had displayed. The paladins had gathered around to discuss their plan of attack. They had intercepted a distress signal, an occurrence that was almost routine at this point. However, initial scans of the planet had revealed that it was desolate and barren. When they had looked closer however, Coran had mused that maybe the inhabitants were simply underground. This had perked Pidge up, and she had started gushing about the technology they must have to be able to hide all signs of life, how she might want to implement that tech on the lions. It was a lot of nerdy stuff, the kind of stuff Lance couldn’t follow too well. 

“If that’s the case,” Allura started, staring intently at the holograms. She stressed the  _ if _ . “Then, we’ll want to take this on with caution. I don’t want the lions to be so exposed when you go in. We should be stealthy about it—”

“We don’t know what the surface will look like, though. Even if it’s crawling with Galra soldiers, we don’t have maps or any way to track beneath the surface. We’ll be going in blind, and any entrances will probably be heavily guarded.”

“Yeah, even if we try to be sneaky, we’re gonna be sitting ducks.” Hunk shrugged, backing up Pidge. Lance bit his lip, trying to stay focused. He hated these long pauses, with all the variables and planning. It reminded him of classes at the Garrison. It also didn’t help that he hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. Or the night before that. Really, he’d stopped having good nights a while ago. Not that he’d say anything to the others. They were all dealing with their own demons, but Lance was the only one zoning out in the middle of important discussions. 

He tore his gaze away from the hologram and tried to focus on whoever was talking. It was a lot of effort, and even more boredom. He listened to their debating for nearly half an hour before he couldn’t anymore. Abruptly, his knee stopped jogging as he dragged his hands down his face and huffed.

"This is ridiculous! We should just go in guns blazing and save some aliens already!"

Keith furrowed his brow, staring at Lance. Usually he was the one blowing up and wanting to rush into battle. The others traded a look that Lance had come to know meant “Lance is at it again, Lance is goofing off again, Lance is  _ so  _ immature”. He wilted a little, his chest squeezed too tight suddenly, but he shrugged it off. He slumped back into his seat, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his green jacket. Coran had already begun speaking again, drawing their attention back to the mission. Keith side-eyed Lance one last time. 

 

And so it turned out, their only option really was to go in “guns blazing.” It was ballsy and nobody really liked it, but Lance was just glad to be moving. Blue helped to keep him grounded, even as his nerves rose in apprehension.

The planet was a disturbed ant hill. Galra forces covered the landscape and the battle quickly erupted. They took out a massive chunk with the Lions, but eventually they had to embark on foot. Hunk and Pidge took to the tunnels, hoping to find the inhabitants beneath the surface. That left Lance to lay down cover fire for Shiro and Keith as they kept the guards busy. No small task, it turned out. Lance’s heart hammered in his chest, mind reeling as he tried to keep track of the battlefield, but he never missed a shot. Still, it seemed like for every Galra droid Lance shot down with deadly aim, two more took its place. He took cover behind a low stack of Galra equipment, trying to catch his breath. The droids were swarming all around. 

Shiro’s voice suddenly sounded over the comms, and Lance struggled to hear him over the sounds of the battle and his own heart thundering in his chest. “ Keith, retreat back to Red! Hunk, Pidge, we can’t hold them off much longer!”

“Roger that, we’ll get ‘er done.” Pidge replied, sounding breathless. No doubt she and Hunk were having their own struggles beneath the surface. For a brief second, Lance panicked. He hated separating on missions, hated just having to trust that everyone would be alright. He shook that thought from his head though, pulling himself back to the battle around him. What good was worrying about those two if he couldn’t cover Shiro and Keith? They were arguing about something, and Lance sucked in a deep breath to focus. He dropped another droid as Keith spoke. 

“I’m not leaving you here!” Across the battlefield, Lance saw Keith. He shouted into the comms, dodging a blow from a droid. He was fire with that sword in his hand. He buried his bayard in the droid, and whirled around to neatly decapitate another. His shoulders heaved as he panted. Out of the corner of his eyes, Lance saw a droid rushing for Keith and lined up the shot before he could even think. At the sound of crackling electricity, Keith turned back around, jumping to avoid the falling bot. Smoke hissed from the gunshot in its back. Keith searched for only a moment, quickly meeting Lance’s eyes. There was always that moment of awe whenever he saw Lance make a shot like that. Not that Lance ever noticed, the poor idiot.

Lance tsked. “Don’t get distracted now, mullet boy.” Keith scowled back and turned away to face a droid rushing him. 

“I’m not—” He stabbed through it with ease. “Distracted. Shiro, you’re closer to the Lions. Lance and I can cover long enough for you to get to Black.” There was a beat before Shiro replied, a simple “Okay”. Keith slashed his way through three more droids. His grip was white-knuckled on his bayard. “Let’s do this, then.”

Lance clenched his jaw, already taking down droids in Shiro’s path.

 

It was only a minute or so later when Hunk crackled over the comms. 

“Hey, guys, we’ve found the civilians. Coming up now!” Lance let out a shaky sigh of relief, a low chuckle. Sweat dripped into his eyes as he covered Keith’s back. The close calls were getting a little too close for comfort. 

“Finally! You guys have to come join the party up h—” Before Lance could finish, there was a harsh thwack to his shoulder and he cut off abruptly. His bayard was torn from his hands.  _ Fuck, fuck, fuck. _ He was so busy trying to watch Keith’s ass, he had left his own defenseless. He would curse himself but there was no time for that.

The droid grabbed him by the chest plate, effortlessly tossing him away and out of cover. He slammed to the ground, the wind knocked out of his lungs as he scrambled to sit up. The droid aimed their gun and Lance activated his shield just in time to avoid being fried. The droid took slow deliberate steps toward him, towering over him imposingly as it fired steadily. His shield arm shook with every blast, and he flinched away. The droids usually had fuck all in the way of accuracy, and Lance usually had a gun, so this was a bit of a pickle. He eyed his bayard, discarded an easy ten feet away but the droid shot again. The shot just barely clipped the side of Lance’s helmet, but instantly static flooded the comms, a deafening roar. Time seemed to slow, Lance unable to look away from the gun pointed at him. He scrambled backward, shouting for help and trying to keep his shield up. The droid stalked after him, unrelenting. Lance cringed at another blow to his shield, looking back up just in time to see it flicker once— twice— and then die completely. 

Time is frozen for that one instant as terror fully set in, his bones turning to lead, blood rushing in his ears. 

And then a bright blue flash. 

The pain tore out of his throat in a scream. The light seared and cracked and splintered through his armor, melding and burning and breaking. It burned. It burned so badly. Already, his suit was slick with blood. He could taste it in his mouth. He could smell smoke in the air. Suddenly, someone was cradling his head. He coughed weakly, hissing at the pain in his torso and opened his eyes. His hand moved on its own, finding Keith’s arm and clutching at it like the simple action was the only thing keeping him conscious. Fuck, it might have been. He had to hold on. He needed to hold on. He doesn’t end here. He forced himself to look up at Keith. 

“Hey there, Keith.” He forced a nonchalant air, a lopsided smile. Relief flashed on Keith’s face, but it was quickly replaced by horror. Lance pretended not to notice. 

“You idiot. What happened to not getting distracted?” Lance wanted to scream because Keith looks so helpless, so afraid. And it hurt so badly, not just the gaping hole in his armor, but that look as well. 

He swallowed hard, tasting blood on his lips. “I guess I was… too busy saving your butt,” he rasped, raising his eyebrows in a  _ what can i say _ kind of way. His eyelids felt so heavy. Everything felt so heavy. And he just wanted them all to be safe again. Dimly, far away, he heard Keith say something as he closed his eyes.

Behind them was the sound of lasers, the Black lion roaring to life. The team shouted over the static flooding the comms. But Lance was quiet. And this is Lance! Lance, who always has something to say, who can’t go five minutes without talking, who brims with confidence, who pushes all of Keith’s buttons. Lance, who thinks so much more than he says. If he was going to go out, it would be with a bang, not with the soft sigh of a candle guttering out.

 

Lance woke up to the cool light of a healing pod flooding his eyes. It slid open and he stumbled out, a feeling of déjà vu wash over him. His muscles ached. He was hungry. He was alive. 


End file.
